How To Paint Interior Molding

If your home is decorated with baseboard molding, you will need to touch up the paint every once in a while. Before hardwood or MDF molding is installed, it is usually painted with a spray gun. However, if you want to change the color of your molding, repainting it with a spray gun is not practical, unless you are painting your entire house, including the walls. Even then, spraying without damaging your floors might be impossible. But, if you are trying to update your molding without painting your walls, it is much easier and less messy to just do it with normal paintbrushes. This article explains how to mask off, prep and paint baseboard molding.

Masking Off the Molding

First, you need to tape off both sides of your molding. Along the top side, place the tape where the molding caulk meets the wall. However, taping off the bottom side depends on what type of floor is there. Regardless, it is best if you use a masking gun. This is a simple tool that you can get at any paint store. It basically has two spools: one for the tape and one for a roll of paper. It attaches these two as you roll them out together. So, when you tape off the bottom edge of the molding, the paper will cover the edge of the floor. In some cases (like carpet) you can tuck the tape underneath the molding.

Prepping the Molding

Very little prep work is necessary, unless your molding has dents and dings. If there are noticeable dings, you should just fill them with wood putty. Then, you can sand the patched area down to blend in with the rest of the molding. In fact, an extra fine grit sanding sponge might be useful in smoothing out any rough spots along the molding. Some dings can be buffed out with the sanding sponge, without needing to do any patching.

Painting the Molding

Most importantly, you need an angled brush to paint the baseboard. Since you basically have to be laying on the floor, an angled brush makes it much easier to be precise when painting. Also, if you use a brand new brush, the brushstrokes will not be as noticeable. It is best to apply the paint thinly, rather that to try and get complete coverage with one coat. Don't be surprised it it takes 2, or even 3, coats to finish the job.

Hello, my name is Felicity Grant. Welcome to my website. I am here to tell you all about home remodels and renovations. When we bought our first house, it was the perfect size for us. As our family grew, however, we quickly found out that we needed more space. We worked with a team of contractors to create an addition on our house that expanded our living space by two-fold. I will explore this process in great detail to help others navigate their remodel with ease. Please feel free to visit my site daily to learn more about home renovations and remodels.